gird

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• intransitive & transitive verb To jeer or jeer at.
• noun A sarcastic remark.
• intransitive verb To encircle (a person or the part of the body) with a belt or band.
• intransitive verb To fasten or secure (clothing, for example) with a belt or band.
• intransitive verb To surround.
• intransitive verb To prepare (oneself) for action.
• intransitive verb To prepare for action.
• idiom (gird (up) (one's) loins) To summon up one's inner resources in preparation for action.

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun A hoop, especially one for a barrel, tub, or the like.
• To bind or confine by encircling with any flexible material, as a cord, bandage, or cloth: as, to gird waist with a sash.
• To make fast by binding; put on by tying or fastening: usually with on: to gird on a sword.
• To surround; encircle; encompass; inclose.
• To invest; clothe; dress; furnish; endue.
• Hence— Figuratively, to brace the mind or spirit for any effort or trial.
• To strike; smite.
• To lash with the tongue; gibe; reproach severely; taunt; upbraid.
• To leap or spring with violence; rush.
• To gibe; jeer; mock.
• noun Twist, used for binding together the fibers of yarn in the process of spinning.
• noun A stroke with a switch or whip; hence, a twinge or pang.
• noun A short sudden effort; a spurt.
• noun A sneer; a gibe; a taunt; a stroke of sarcasm.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• noun A stroke with a rod or switch; a severe spasm; a twinge; a pang.
• noun A cut; a sarcastic remark; a gibe; a sneer.
• intransitive verb To gibe; to sneer; to break a scornful jest; to utter severe sarcasms.
• transitive verb obsolete To strike; to smite.
• transitive verb To sneer at; to mock; to gibe.
• transitive verb To encircle or bind with any flexible band.
• transitive verb To make fast, as clothing, by binding with a cord, girdle, bandage, etc.
• transitive verb To surround; to encircle, or encompass.
• transitive verb To clothe; to swathe; to invest.
• transitive verb To prepare; to make ready; to equip.
• transitive verb to put on; to fasten around or to one securely, like a girdle; as, to gird on armor or a sword.
• transitive verb to bind tightly with a girdle; to support and strengthen, as with a girdle.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• verb transitive To bind with a flexible rope or cord.
• verb transitive To encircle with, or as if with a belt.
• noun A sarcastic remark.
• verb transitive To jeer at.
• verb intransitive To jeer.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• verb prepare oneself for a military confrontation
• verb put a girdle on or around
• verb bind with something round or circular